This post was written by Joanna:
Joanna is an SEO and online marketing consultant. She is also the founder of Itchy Feet Blog, a travel blog site where people can share their feelings of wanderlust and stories from travel adventures. You can follow her and the site on Twitter as @ItchyFeetBlog.
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I’m finally here in Beijing, China! So excited to finally be here! Should have been weary and jaded from the 23 hour door-to-door trip, but as soon as I saw the gorgeous afternoon sunshine in Beijing (23 deg C), all that fell away!
View from the plane
Learn How to Give a Great Man Hug - helpful in-flight videos!
Anyway, this is just a short post as I’m resting up in the hotel while jetlag does its thing. It’s 9.30PM local time when back home in the UK it’s 2.30PM and people are just finishing their lunches.
View from the Chinese taxi
I’ve only seen a tiny part of Beijing so far, but it’s fascinatingly varied. The strong Chinese traditions, mixed with modern architecture and hard industrial developments have left Beijing with a landscape that includes breath-taking skyscrapers that sit next to more impoverished residential areas. Although there are very few “Westerners” about, you can see that there is an incredible diversity of Chinese cultures and ways of life here.
Crazy and amazing constructions!
Naturally, being the techie that I am, I tested out various censored websites in China. The Great Firewall of China currently blocks:
- Twitter, including Tweetie, TweetDeck etc, but not lesser-known API-using websites
- Blogspot
- YouTube
- …and many more
Google is also still rerouting from Google.cn to Google.co.hk.
However, I have already discovered a way to get around these filters and set up a VPN that I’ll be using on various hotel / hostel wi-fi connections. Win! It basically means that I’ll now show up as using a UK IP and can use any services based in the UK that I need, including iTunes, Spotify and Twitter of course. 
Right, time to try to get some sleep and attempt to sync with this time zone!
Twitter Updates
Just make sure you keep changing hotels so they don’t trace you and subject you to erm Chinese torture!
I’m SO jealous you’re in Beijing! I miss it so much. I visited during the winter time and it was amazing. When I climbed the Great Wall, I practically had it all to myself.
Hope you have the time of your life in China. I traveled to a few places there and it has been the highlight of my life.
@Johannes Haha thanks Jo… I’ll try to remember that
@Monica Ah thanks Monica! Which part of the wall did you visit? Any other highlights here you’d recommend? This place is enchanting as it is, but I bet the quiet of winter makes it beautiful! I could live here quite easily!
I climbed Badaling. I also visited the the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and the Forbidden City. They’re the usual tourist attractions but they’re places you definitely must see if you visit Beijing. You MUST have the Beijing Kaoya (Beijing Duck). It is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.